The present invention relates to a joystick controller for electric switches, of the type which is used for controlling the operation of certain electronic games and the like. In particular, this invention is an improvement of the joystick controller disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 327,261, filed Dec. 3, 1981, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,166 and commonly assigned with the present application.
Prior joystick controllers, including that disclosed in the aforementioned application, include a housing enclosing a plurality of switches which may include, for example, direction control switches and a fire control switch, and handle means tiltably mounted on the housing for movement to actuate the direction control switches. The handle may include a push button for actuating the fire control switch. The switches used in these prior joystick controllers are leaf switches comprising a switch body molded around a pair of leaf spring switch blades. Discrete receptacles or sockets for the direction control switches are provided in the housing, and the switches are then interconnected by copper wires which are in turn connected to a control cable.
This prior arrangement is relatively expensive because of the use of standard molded leaf switch units which must be individually hand-wired in the housing.